Various types of devices having a similar article-handling purpose have been known. Such devices have been used, for example, in the printing industry to remove a sheet of paper from the top or end of a pile thereof and transfer the sheet to a second location such as to a conveyor which moves the sheet into a press or other machine. Such devices have also been used in the container-manufacturing industry to denest plastic trays or to pick coupons or premiums from a stack or tray and advance them to a moving conveyor for placement thereon or insertion within a container thereon. Additionally, in conjunction with various glue applicators, one such coupon-type sheet may be moved from a pile, advanced past a glue applicator, and placed in sticking contact with a carton. Some devices operate to pick and open folded cartons.
One known device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,810,575, is used specifically for counting banknotes. The device includes a planetary gear member provided with internal teeth which serves to rotate mating gear members or a plurality of shafts having vacuum sucking mechanisms attached thereto. The device, however, does not pick up a banknote and physically move it to a subsequent station; rather it simply pivots the banknote about one end. The note is in contact with the vacuum mechanism for a suitably short time and released when a following vacuum mechanism has moved to prevent the note from swinging back to its original position.
Other devices are known which physically pick an article from a magazine or tray and move it to a subsequent station. These other devices, however, have complex gear mechanisms with a minimal capability for adjustment as required for various projects. For example, one such device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,915,308, includes a drive shaft having a gear thereon, a plurality of support shafts having vacuum mechanisms and small drive gears thereon, and a plurality of third gears for location between the drive shaft gear and the gears on the support shafts.
Another device, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,068, uses gears on the support shafts which hold vacuum mechanisms. These mechanisms roll directly on a gear attached to the drive shaft. Additionally, however, there exist a series of gears and chains between a power source and the drive shaft.
Thus, many of the known devices use a complex number and arrangement of gears and other apparatus, and, consequently, are expensive to buy and maintain. Others of the known devices have limited capability. There exists a need for an article-handling apparatus which can move an article from a first station to a second station, but yet is relatively simple, economical, and versatile.